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L'Orfeo
Though around eighteen operas were created by Monteverdi but only
‘L'Orfeo’, ‘Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria’, ‘L'incoronazione di Poppea’, and the
famous aria, ‘Lamento’, from his second opera ‘L'Arianna’ have continued to
exist. Monteverdi’s maiden opera was ‘L'Orfeo’ and was premiered in 1607 in
Mantua. To be more specific, L'Orfeo was not his first opera, but the first full-
fledged opera that received the designation of becoming a mature or well-
established opera. In those days it was a trend for composers to compose
music on demand for special events and this piece of music created by
Monteverdi was a part of the ducal celebrations of carnival.